Convertible car.



N0."707,0l8. Patentd Aug. 12, I902.

H. BUMUNDER. CONVERTIBLE GAR.

(Application filed. Apr. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheeis--Sheet l.

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No. 707,018. Patented Aug. I2, I902.

- H. BOMUNDEB.

CONVERTIBLE GAR.

I (Application filed Apr. 12, 1901.) (No Model.) a Sheets-Shut 2.

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No. 707,0!8. Pate nted Aug. l2, I902.

H. ROMUNDER. CONVERTIBLE CAB.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

malty UNITED STATES Z ATENT OFFIC HERMANN ROMUNDER, OF NEWARK, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONVERTIBLE CAR COMPANY, OF BLOOMSBURY, NEWJERSEY.

CONVERTIBLE CAR.

srnclrioAtrrouf rmin part of Letters mat e. 707,018, dated August 12,1902.

Application filed April 12, 1901. Serial No. 55,583. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMANN RoMiiNDER,

' a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in thecounty of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Convertible Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of cars used fonstreet-railways andother purposes which are known as convertible cars-that is, cars whichcan be changed en route from open summer-cars to closed or winter cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a car of this character whichshall be stronger and more substantially built, ofcheaper construction,more readily repaired, and of neater appearance than has heretoforebeenpossible and which car contains a less radical departure from theappearance of ordinary cars than has heretofore been the case in cars ofconvertible construction. these objects, I makethe body of the car as askeleton structure of metal, preferably steel,

carefully and strongly riveted together be fore the woodwork and otherornamentation are applied, and I make the metal uprights and side postsof both sides of the car-body of a fixed pattern or shape, so that thereare no rights or lefts, butall the-side posts are interchangeable andreversible without regard to the width of the car. The length of the carwill Vary with the number of side posts used, the distance between twoside posts constituting a wall-section and the number of wall-sectionsto be given to any particular car being a matter of convenience ortaste. On the inside of the carthe skeleton structure is almost, if notentirely, hidden by wood, either solid or veneer, and; the car of courseprovided with electrichor other means of lighting, chairs or otherseats, and

the details usual to said structures. I avoid the unusual and somewhatcylindrical appearance of convertible cars as heretofore made by makingthat part of the side which To accomplish My invention thereforeconsists in a convertible car the body of which comprises a metalskeleton frame composed of a bottom frame,a roof-frame, and a number ofside posts secured thereto and provided with suitable'grooves adapted toreceive the sliding side'sections of the car and hold them fixed intheiropen orclosed condition, as required.

My invention further consists in metal side posts for use in cars ofthis construction of such character that all the side posts areinterchangeable and reversible.

One form of my invention is'shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich}- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car half open and halfclosed. Fig. 2 is a'transverse vertical section. Fig.3 is an enlargeddetail showingtheaction ofthe groove-switch. Figs. 4 and 5 arehorizontal sections of one of the side posts at different levels. Fig. 6is an enlarged detail showing the way'in which the side post is rivetedto the angle-iron which forms the bottom frame.

Same letters indicate similar parts in the difl'erent figures.

A is the body of the car, which is mounted upon suitable trucks B. Thisbody is formed with a bottom frame, preferably made of angle-iron andbolted or otherwise secured to the truck frame. This bottom frameconsists of a strip of angle-ironO, extending lengthroof-frame is alsomade of metal and supports any desired form of roof. This roof-frameconsists of a longitudinal strip of metal D, extending lengthwise of thecar on each side and, if desired, also around therounded end of the car,and a number of cross-strips D,

secured together so as to make a solid frame to which the upper ends ofthe side posts may be fastened. These two frames are connected togetherby the side posts E, which are of peculiar construction, preferably ofsteel; but other metals may be employed. The bottom frame, roof-frame,and side posts constitute a skeleton structure, which is preferably madecomplete independently of the truck-frame on which the car is to be set.

F represents what maybe called the solid when the car is used as aclosed car are mounted between the side posts in the grooves e e andform an air-tight and weather-tight wall for the car below thewindow-stoolf. When the car is to be used as an open car, these sidewalls F are moved up in the inner grooves e 6 out of the way, so as tolie under or over the lower part of the roof-frame. The other part ofthe side wall consists of a window or window-sash G, which is always inthe outer grooves e c. When the car is used as a closed car, thewindow-sash rests down upon the stool f; but when the car is used as anopen car it is pushed up under the root out of the way. The lower endsof the grooves e e" are separated by a swinging switch or look g, whichis normally held by gravity or a spring toward the outer side of thewall, which would leave the inner upper groove 6 in communication withthe lower groove e. \Vhen, however, the window-sash is down, its lowerend forces the switch inward, shutting off the inner groove '6 andmaking it impossible for the side wall F to be raised. The

preferable construction of the side posts will be more readilyunderstood from Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. The post itself is preferably madeout of a T-shaped bar H of suitable length, which is left straight forthe lower section, but isbent into the arc of a circle for the upperportion, as shown. Both sides of the shank of the T are faced with wood,which for the straight portion of the bar-contains simply the grooves e6, but for the bent portion of the bar contains the two grooves e e",the connection between the grooves e and e depending upon the positionof the switch g. For the sake of superior finish the inner edge of theshank of the T-bar is also covered with a wooden veneer, so that no partof the metal skeleton frame is visible inside the car except theangle-iron of the bottom frame, which serves as a threshold when the caris open and is provided with a little ridge 0, upon which the bottom ofthe side wall F, preferably grooved, rests to make a strong andweather-tight connection.

The way of attaching the side posts E to the bottom frame 0 so as tomake a strong and substantial construction is best shown in Fig. 6. Thebody of the T extends down for some distance on the outside of the frameand is bolted or riveted thereto. A portion of the shank of the T issplit into the parts e e and bent into a horizontal position, one to theright and one to the left, after which they are bolted or riveted to theupper surface of ther description.

the bottom frame. This of course is done before the posts are covered bywood, as before explained.

It is obvious that by reason of having the two concentric grooves in theupper part only of the post I am notonly able to raise the sash G andside wall F of one side of the car entirely out of the way withoutinterfering with or overlapping those from the other side of the car, ashas heretofore been usual, but I am also able to have the lower portionof the sides of the car straight and substantially vertical, such slantas is required being only that needed to enable the somewhat-flexibleside wall to pass from the groove 6 to the groove e when the latter isopen.

The operation of converting the car from an open to a closed ear, orvice versa, and the many advantages of the construction will, I think,be sufficiently understood without f ur- The car may, if desired, havethe permanently-closed head-sections J without interfering with myimproved construction.

I claim- 1. A convertible car the sides of which are composed of groovedinterchangeable and reversible metal posts and side sections consistingof window-sashes and side walls sliding therein and so arranged thatwhen the sides are closed the sashes rest above the sidewalls and whenthe sides are open the sashes and side walls are separately raised andheld in separate grooves in the upper part of said posts said groovescommunicating with the lower groove by means of a lock substantially asset forth.

2. An interchangeable side post for convertible cars, the lower portionof which contains a groove for the side wall and the upper portion ofwhich contains concentric grooves for the side wall and sash, the uppergrooves communicating with the lower groove by means of a locksubstantially as and for the purpose set-forth.

3. A side post for convertible cars the grooved lower portion of whichis substantially vertical and the upper portion runs on the arc of acircle and is provided with two concentric grooves the lower groovecommunicating with either of the upper grooves by means of a locksubstantially as shown and described.

HERMANN ROMUN DER.

Witnesses:

W. P. PREBLE, J r., CARL L. FIEDLER.

